Deep Sea Embers

Chapter 216 “Hospitality On The Vanished”

The sea was calm, with a pleasant breeze as the waves gently flowed along the surface. One may even consider the view nice if one excludes the horror that lies under the depths of these waters.

On the high platform at the stern of the Vanished, the dark steering wheel automatically rotated its angle as the sails slowly adjusted its bearing. Nina sat on the edge of the deck under this atmosphere, her upper body lying lazily against the guardrails with her leg dangling outside.

“…… This is such a strange feeling. I know you’re my Uncle Duncan, and I also know you’re someone that I can rely on and trust. However, I also know about the other facts clearly…”

She seemed to be talking to herself in a soft and slow mutter.

“I have an uncle who was an ordinary man. He used to be a very good, honest, and hardworking person, but then he became… not so good anymore. He got sick, started drinking heavily, gambled money, and was cranky. The situation got worse every day. Back then, I felt going home in itself was a tortuous thing…”

“But suddenly, my uncle got better again. Like a dream, his body got better, his temper got better, and even the atmosphere at home seemed to return to the better times… Actually, it wasn’t even that good in the past… I often wondered how nice it would be if you could really be my uncle forever.”

Duncan frowned slightly, “You already noticed it back then?”

“Sort of… But I wasn’t sure, and I couldn’t figure out some of the things.” Nina turned her head and tilted her face slightly, “If it’s really the kind of ‘evil spirit’ mentioned in the book that occupied my home, then why are the evil spirits still so good to me?”

Duncan peered into Nina’s eyes, and after a while, he burst out laughing. “I’m much more powerful than evil spirits.”

“I can see that now,” Nina giggled broadly. Then she lazily rested her head against the guardrail, “You’re Uncle Duncan, right?”

“Yes, and I can always be.”

“That’s great… I’m much more relieved now,” Nina exhaled before she fell quiet for a moment due to the hesitation. “My other uncle… Was it peaceful for him when he left?”

Duncan recalls the night when he truly stepped into the city-state of Pland.

An irreparable cultist, taking his last breath in the cold, damp sewers, his dark compatriots planning to throw the corpse into the depths of darkness, and his muddled mind containing only a twisted and fanatical worship of the dark sun.

Nevertheless, there was still a little bit of humanity left in the man, the part where he remembers Nina and how he will leave her. For that little bit of humanity, Duncan’s going to make a white lie.

“He left peacefully,” Duncan said softly, “and he didn’t have much to worry about in the end. Of course, you were the only attachment he didn’t want to leave behind.”

“That’s fine then,” Nina sighed as if letting go of the last bit of burden on her shoulders. She stretched her arms vigorously before plopping down on the deck and looking up at the translucent ghost sail of the Vanished. “A lot has happened recently, especially today… Can you tell me about it? Including the things you haven’t told me yet. I want to know about this ship, about you, and… about myself…”

Duncan got up from the barrel and took a seat next to Nina: “That’s going to be a long story. I’m a person of many stories…”

……

“All in all, Captain Duncan is that powerful…”

On the wide deck of the Vanished, Alice was happily going over the great deeds of the captain to the “visitors” she had. Well, at least two-thirds of the words coming out of her mouth had come from the wooden sculpture known as Goathead. Whether or not those stories are true or exaggerated, only the storyteller himself would know.

But regardless of the truth, Shirley and Morris had listened intently to the details for they are not versed in the odd makeup of the crew. In fact, the only one still smart enough to avoid being nosy was Dog, who kept up with the façade of reading the newspaper.

“As expected of the Vanished,” Morris stroked his chin in admiration. He studied all his life and only now realized how lacking he was in front of Alice. “I have seen many articles about this ship in books, and never could I have imagined how incredible the truth truly was. It’s nothing like the stories from the books…”

As soon as the old gentleman’s words came out, a majestic voice suddenly sounded from the side: “I strongly recommend you not take Alice’s words for facts. Her imagination is far more outrageous than those books you read.”

Dog was the first to react and scrambled behind Shirley, who also jumped up like a police officer in salute at the captain’s return.

“Ah-Ah, Du-Duncan… Captain, you’re finished with your business?” Shirley stutters in response.

Duncan nodded and stepped down the stairs, followed by a petite figure coming down behind him.

“Nina!” As soon as Shirley saw the person, she jumped and happily ran over for a hug, “It’s wonderful that you’re okay!”

With this gesture, the black chain on Shirley’s arm also directly dragged Dog along, pushing the poor dark hound directly in front of the captain by coincidence. As a result, Dog was now face to face with the main body of Duncan, who looked more menacing and imposing than his avatar within the city. If looks could kill, then Duncan’s intimidating face could definitely achieve that.

“Ah, I, Cap-Captain Dun-Duncan… A good day isn’t it?” Dog robotically greets the ghostly man after being dragged into the bind.

“Shirley!” Returned the hug with a warm embrace of her own, but hers had more vigor and strength than the gothic girl’s. Then leaning down, she pats the skeletal dog’s head: “And Mr. Dog, it’s good to see you. I’m back!”

Morris also greeted his student before asking the doll: “Miss Alice, what you just said… was it all made up?”

“I didn’t make it up! That’s what Mr. Goathead told me!” Alice’s eyes immediately widened like she’s shocked, “He told me he has served on the Vanished for a century, and he knows better than anyone about this ship!”

Morris looked confused: “Mr. Goathead?”

“My first mate. You won’t like dealing with him,” Duncan said casually. Then he looked around at the few people standing in front of him like he’s doing a head count.

Morris, Shirley, Dog, all unscheduled boarders of his ship due to the situation in Pland.

Although Duncan already planned to use the Vanished’s special nature to strip away the pollution in history, he still urgently teleported the “guests” who had taken refuge in the antique shop just in case. But now that things have calmed down on the city-state’s side, it was necessary to consider the future and what to do next.

At the very least, Mr. Morris still had relatives in the city and probably didn’t want to stay on this ghost ship forever.

After a brief thought, he withdrew his gaze.

“I think you already know where you are, and you already know who I am. As you can see, this is the Vanished, and I am the captain of this famous ship. At least half of the horror legends told in pubs, and bedtime stories are about me and this vessel…”

“I will not comment on the veracity and exaggerated descriptions of these legends, but one thing is true: after boarding the Vanished, it is difficult for you to cut off your connection with the ship. In a sense, you are already considered a part of the crew after Ai’s teleportation and ‘spiritization’ from the Vanished.”

“Unfortunately, this process is neither reversible nor avoidable.” Duncan got straight to the point. This was something he’s learned recently about the Vanished and his own power. The earliest example of this would be the White Oak, and the most recent one being Vanna.

Morris and Shirley reacted calmer than Duncan had imagined, leaving only Dog to shrug and mutter something no one could hear.

It seems they have long thought of this situation and had a certain preparation in place…

Duncan deliberated for several seconds before shaking his head with a wry smile.

“But there is one difference from the legend,” his tone becoming lighter, “this ship is not just a one-way ticket. I, the captain… as you can see, is not a wild and out of control natural disaster like the legend says.”

“You all boarded the ship because of the emergency; therefore, I won’t restrict your freedom.”

This time, Shirley and Morris showed a stronger reaction by popping their eyes.

“That is to say… we can go back?” Morris was the first to speak after comprehending the sentence.

“Of course,” Duncan smiled, “Pland’s crisis is over. You can come and go as you please, but…”

Morris tensed up again.

“Let’s go after eating,” Duncan said casually, “this is my way of showing hospitality. The food on the Vanished is simple, but there are also some specialties that we have, especially the aquatic products. You will have a tough time finding it in the city-states…”